Briefs From Barwin Jan 13, 2017

BRIEFS from BARWIN

From the Desk of Sarasota

City Manager Tom Barwin

January 13, 2017

Photo of the Week

As
seasonal residents and visitors return to Sarasota, they'll probably
notice some of the new developments underway in downtown and the
Rosemary District. Located at the corner of N. Palm Ave. and Cocoanut
Ave., this construction project will be a hotel, called Hotel Sarasota.
The project includes a new roundabout at the intersection which is now
open to traffic. The construction boom is continuing so please be
vigilant while traveling around town and be on the look out for
construction crews and possible shifts in traffic patterns.

MLK Day - Jan. 16 Administrative offices will be closed next Monday, January 16 as the nation remembers Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Garbage, recycling and yard waste will be picked up as usual -- no changes. All City of Sarasota recreational facilities will be open with regular business hours.

To
celebrate the life, dreams and achievements of Dr. King, a variety of
events and activities will be held, including a golf tournament at Bobby
Jones Golf Club, memorial breakfast, and a "Stride Toward Freedom" unity walk and celebration. The walk starts at 11 a.m.
on MLK Day at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex and will conclude at
Dr. MLK, Jr. Park where a celebration with live music, vendors and
speakers will take place. To see a complete list of community events click here.

Sarasota
continues to make strides with diversity and equality, as is being
documented now with recorded oral histories by Vickie Oldham and the
Newtown Conservation Historic District. We're honoring the community's
past while, like Dr. King, contemplating dreams and opportunities. The
new SMH teaching clinic will open soon and so will the Ringling
soundstage, presenting more opportunities for small businesses to open
and grow along the newly renovated Dr. MLK, Jr. Way.

2.

Bobby Jones Golf Club - Public Input Wanted We're inviting the community to participate in walk-throughs of all 45 holes of the three

The British Course at Bobby Jones.

golf courses comprising the Bobby Jones Golf Club Complex.

A
golf course architecture firm, Richard Mandell Golf Architecture, is
spearheading the master planning process for the complex and principal
Richard Mandell will be in Sarasota to assess the course alongside the
public. He's seeking specific input from regular golfers at
Bobby Jones, so he can begin creating a master plan design based on
community needs, suggestions, and concerns. To read a letter of
introduction click here.The course walk-through schedule is:

Wed., January 25 - Noon: Gillespie Course

Wed., January 25 - 2:30 p.m.: American Course

Thurs., January 26 - 6:45 a.m. - American Course

Thurs., January 26 - 2:30 p.m. - British Course

Fri., January 27 - 6:45 a.m. - British Course

Fri., January 27 - 2:30 p.m. - American Course

You're
encouraged to register in advance for each walk-through, so we have an
idea of how many to anticipate on the course. Please call 941-954-4163 to register or sign up at the Golf Shop.

3.

Garbage/Recycling - InfoThere's a new feature on the City of Sarasota website to help you determine your garbage collection day, receive a reminder about collection days, and glean recycling tips.

On
the homepage, from the list of Departments, select Public Works, then
click 'Garbage Pickup & Recycling'. Enter your address in the space
provided. A calendar will appear showing your collection day. You can
also register to receive regular reminders via email, text or phone
call. In addition, there's an option to receive alerts, to notify you
about a collection delay (possibly due to weather), if necessary.

A screen shot of the new 'Recollect' interactive software on the City of Sarasota website.

In the 'Be Cart Smart' area, you can type the name of any item
and receive an immediate response on how to recycle or properly dispose
of it. For example, if you enter 'plastic bottle', you'll be informed
to place it in your recycling bin for curbside pickup -- and you'll also
receive special instructions for handling the plastic cap.

Thanks to Public Works General Manager Todd Kucharski
for seeing the need for this interactive software and assuring it was
implemented online for the community.

Employee Recognition When City employees go above and beyond we like to pause a moment and recognize their efforts. This

Assistant City Manager John Lege handing out letters of appreciation and tumblers to Rob Schanley, Eric Patro and Bill Mallett.

week, we honored several employees who were tasked with renovating an
outdated conference room in the City Commission office and equipping it
with modern day technology -- all within a

very short time frame during the holiday season. Kudos to
Facility/Asset Manager Rob Schanley, Facilities Manager Eric Patro and
Webmaster Bill Mallett who worked some late nights to get the job done
on time. The room's extreme makeover is a significant improvement and
the space is now functional for staff meetings requiring video/computer
presentations and conference calls. Congratulations, team!

5.

Happy 100th!Our
most seasoned regular golfer at Bobby Jones Golf Club, Larkin Lyell, is
set to turn 100 years young in a couple of weeks! What's especially
impressive...he golfs every Wednesday with the Men's Golf Association. Earlier this week, Larkin's golf buddies honored

Larkin Lyell is turning 100 and golfs once a week at Bobby Jones Golf Club.

him with an early birthday celebration before they hit the links for their regular round of 18.

Larkin
served in the U.S. Air Force during WW II. In 1976, he and his wife
moved to Sarasota from Tenessee and raised four children. Over the
years, he managed motels in Sarasota and worked at Walgreen's well into
his 90s.

A City of Sarasota resident, Larkin has enjoyed playing
at Bobby Jones for many years and says he looks forward to his weekly
round with the guys (and he usually shoots under his age). His secret
to such youthful exuberance? He jokes that he's always enjoyed a lot of
Blue Bell ice cream (vanilla).

The Baltimore Orioles are
holding their annual mini camp for prospective players who want to get
some extra work and practice in before spring training gets under way.
We appreciate our resident photographer Norm Schimmel for giving us an
insider's peek in this week's 'Sarasota Scene'. First home game for the
Orioles is early this year: Wed., February 26 at 1 p.m. against the Pittsburgh Pirates.Weekly Briefs will be on hiatus until January 27th. Thanks
for reading this week's edition. If you'd like to receive Weekly
Briefs directly to your inbox click 'Join Our Mailing List' below or send us an email at CityNews@SarasotaGov.com.

SCAS LINKS

Brochure

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Dunfermline Scotland 2016- Click To See More

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Tel Mond, Israel Visit

Vladimir, Russia

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Mission Statement

The mission of Sister Cities Association of Sarasota, Inc. (SCAS) is to foster international relationships between Sarasota and cities that have similar interests by creating exchanges in areas of culture, education, tourism, business and government. SCAS’s objective is to develop respect, understanding and cooperation through citizen diplomacy.
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Tour Merida, Mexico Complete Jan 24-Feb 1, 2015

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THE BAGPIPES ARE CALLING YOU TO SCOTLAND!

Dunfermline City Director Pauline Mitchell, a 40-year connoisseur of Scotland is organizing a visit to majestic Dunfermline, the Scottish Sister City of Sarasota and a city of four Scottish Kings, a Saint, and The Star Spangled Scotsman, Andrew Carnegie who, born from humble beginnings came to rise to a Tycoon who gave away $350,000,000 of his fortune.

Our organized 12 day Tour will also take you to where CASTLES tell stories, LOCHS have deep secrets and BATTLEFIELDS whisper of Victory and Defeat. A show like no other, the famous ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO is an unforgettable experience and is in our program.

Early August 2016, come along with your friends of Sister Cities Association of Sarasota to enjoy the unique opportunity to visit “The Best of Scotland” and be part of this Official Delegation. A memorable journey with an exciting 12-day itinerary ready for you now!

JOIN US,LET’S MAKE MEMORIES,LET’S MAKE FRIENDS,LET’S MAKE AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY!

For information and details, as well as the next TRIP SOCIAL, please contact